Question About Using WW's to Cast Boolits

[40sandwfan]

Gear,
I was just shooting my wife's .38 in the back yard tonight and my Glock 23 without raising any eyebrows so I don't think any black smoke would bother anyone.

[geargnasher]

Well give what I do a try, you can use charcoal lighter fluid also to burn off the trash, reduce the oxides, and help add BTUs to the weights.

Gear

[fredj338]

HeavyMetal,
You make a lot of sense in what you said. I remember when I first started casting bullets I would have to stick something in the spout of my bottom-pour melting pot to keep it from clogging. As you mentioned, WW can be dirty, but if they're cleaned and smelted separately most of the dirt and clogging debris can be avoided!

Which is why most of us don't put anything but clean alloy into a BP casting pot. One reason the Lee pot gets a bad rap for leaking, guys smelt in them & empty them. Keep it at least half full all the time & use clean alloy, my two pots rarely drip much at all.

Well give what I do a try, you can use charcoal lighter fluid also to burn off the trash, reduce the oxides, and help add BTUs to the weights.

Mineral spirits works great for removing the gooo, but it's not cheap & it's kinda messy to work with. Just put them into a bucket, pour in the MS & wait about an hour, the stuff falls off. You want to dry them out well before smelting though.

[40sandwfan]

Now what is Mineral Spirits?

[lwknight]

Mineral spirits is a mild smelling solvent from most any paint supply.
It dries completely but not real fast.

[40sandwfan]

If it's bought at a paint supply place I'm assuming it would be to remove paint and might possibly be flammable, am I right? Just checking...

[woodyubet]

woodyubet, what if what you cast is in a caliber that I can't use? Do I still get 50% of what you cast?

What calibers do you use ? Yes you still get 50 %

[old turtle]

Most of the stick-on weights I have gotten are pure lead or close to it. I separate them out.

[badbob454]

put the stick on ww in a cast iron pan or pot and put in the middle of a small camp fire itll burn off most of the smoke and skim off the top when melted and cast into muffin tins or ingots , dont mess up your casting pot shoot stick ons in the black powder and s/guns slugs , and save clip ons ,to water quench, and shoot in magnum guns and rifles ..

[thegreatdane]

Well give what I do a try, you can use charcoal lighter fluid also to burn off the trash, reduce the oxides, and help add BTUs to the weights.

Gear

+1 for burning the nasty off. I don't user lighter fluid though. I flux it up and light the melted wax. No flame= disgusting stench. Wax flame = clean burn.

[geargnasher]

+1 for burning the nasty off. I don't user lighter fluid though. I flux it up and light the melted wax. No flame= disgusting stench. Wax flame = clean burn.

I was just making another suggestion. Not everyone has a 55-gallon barrel of old diesel lying around in the garage like I do to go get a half cupful from whenever a fire is needed, but lots of people have lighter fluid on hand. The burning diesel fuel really helps melt the weights down in the smelting pot, the propane burner heats the bottom and the burning diesel in the pot heats the weights in the top part.

Gear

[thegreatdane]

It's a good suggestion, Gear. I'll try it in a future smelting session. In my limited experience, lighting the wax has worked, but i'll give the lighter fluid a try.

Heating from above does seem to speed up the process quite a bit.

...good advice from all.

[44man]

Naptha = lighter fluid

Or Coleman fuel, Camp fuel at Wall Mart.
Keep the stick on weights for a muzzle loader and make boolits from the clip on weights.

[blackthorn]

Naptha, white=gas, lighter fluid----ALL very flamable AND quick to produce fumes all around the area! Diesel, used oil---not so much! The first group WILL give you a six foot flame IF you wait too long between pouring it on and lighting it off (too long is a VERY subjective time frame LOL). Have a great SAFE day!

[woodyubet]

I must be running my smelt to hot. I can remove all the steel and drop in a half inch of candle and the candle melts and spreads out then it catches fire all by it's self. I just don't thnk I could pour liquid fuel on a 650 degree liquid metal. My arms aren't near long enough.

[40sandwfan]

I think I'd be right there beside you woodyubet! Not too sure that I trust it completely. I may shave my head, but I like the hair on my face.

[woodyubet]

Yep the lead may stink when it's melting but when the candle goes in every body is happy with the smell.........Besides I can get candles at local junk shops for 25 cents each.

[44man]

I must be running my smelt to hot. I can remove all the steel and drop in a half inch of candle and the candle melts and spreads out then it catches fire all by it's self. I just don't thnk I could pour liquid fuel on a 650 degree liquid metal. My arms aren't near long enough.

Keep the smelt at 600* and the junk WW's will not melt. Too many of those zinc things going around.
NO liquid fuel on hot lead!
My wife found me a huge block of paraffin, must have weighed 15#, for $2. I keep my propane torch handy and when I toss in a chunk I just light it with the torch. I use a spoon with a long wood handle to stir the melt.

[2wheelDuke]

I let the heat take care of tape weight adhesive as well. The lead melts and leaves the adhesive on top as a messy, flaming dross. I just skim it off and blow it out.

[songdog53]

Personally i just put them in with rest of WW's and let them smoke and stink all they want, then flux and try to clean pot after i get thru. And you right about us poor folks down here.